The history of sound equipment, in particular stereo speakers, has brought about many changes particularly in home stereo equipment. The earlier products were produced and designed as furniture to complement the living area where the sound system was to be located. This resulted in many ornate designs which emphasized the aesthetic value of the housing. Typically, early sound systems also included the entire tuner, amplifier and speakers within the unit. These earlier models included a window wherein fabric was glued over the perimeter of the window from inside the sound unit. The speaker was installed behind the fabric covered window within the unit.
With the advent of stereo sound and the transistor, sound systems began to separate the speakers into left and right sides of the listening area to obtain the greatest stereo effect. Because sound systems were becoming smaller in size, they evolved from a decorative unit into smaller, functional and interchangeable units where different components could now be interchanged to allow the user to adapt the system to his/her own particular needs. In the evolution of the adaptable sound system it has become necessary for the speaker to adapt as well.
The sound speaker today is a functional unit of varying size. With the introduction of surround sound, the need has grown for various speakers tailored for a particular sound effect to be introduced into different corners of a listening area. In addition, some speakers also require adjustments conforming it to the particular listening environment. The introduction of speakers for particularized purposes has created a need for building a speaker housing which protects the speaker without hindering the sound quality. The housing must be inexpensive to build, since the greater cost of the unit is borne by the speaker installed within the speaker housing. However, this low cost must be balanced with aesthetic considerations due to the fact that the speakers will be located throughout a principle living area and positioned for obtaining a complete surround sound effect.
With all the changes to speaker designs, the speaker housing still requires some sort of screen or shield which covers and protects the functional features of the speakers while allowing sound to be distributed unaffected. In addition, many speakers incorporate equalization adjustments behind the cover. Thus, easy access must be provided to the user to allow equalization adjustment of the speakers once they have been put to use.
The modern speaker cover must be adaptable to meet these varying needs and yet must be simple to manufacture. Prior methods of assembly of speaker covers have primarily been directed to various time consuming and expensive manual assembly processes. As can be readily recognized, manual assembly methods are slower and therefore more time consuming than automated methods. Additionally, when the salaries and related expenses of the workers are factored in, such methods are also normally more expensive.
Thus, there exists the need for a speaker cover assembly apparatus which can quickly and economically produce such a speaker cover. In addition, a speaker cover which has a fabric screen attached around a lightweight plastic frame must be constructed with the fabric wrapped tightly about the frame to maintain an immobile layer which prevents small objects from contacting and damaging the speakers. A need therefore exist for an assembly apparatus capable of attaching the fabric to the speaker frame to provide this protective capability in an economical manner.